A dog has been put on an intensive diet following serious obesity that renders him unable to walk. The dog, a beagle cross called Patch, weighs around 62lbs, about the same as an average eight year old child.

Patch, who is six years old, is facing serious problems in walking as he is so heavy his legs cannot support him. Now, an animal charity is putting Patch on a low fat diet to try and get him to lose 50 per cent of his body weight .

Patch faces a greater risk of developing diabetes, liver disease, pancreatitis, and heart problems . A carer at the Dogs Trust Glasgow centre, Victoria Kelly, reportedly commented: "We get a lot of overfed dogs in the centre, but nothing to the extent of Patch. As soon as he came in we knew something needed to be done."